Description of the attraction
Zattere was built in 1519 as a harbor for transshipment of timber, and today it is the embankment of Venice, along which there are a number of notable buildings and monuments. In fact, this embankment stretches along the entire southern coast of the city quarter of Dorsoduro. It offers excellent views of the creations of the great architect Andrea Palladio, located on the island of Giudecca.
The westernmost point of Zattere, known as San Basilio, is named after a church that once stood on this site and was destroyed long ago. Today, you can see the building of the Scuola dei Luganegeri with a yellow facade, which in the past housed the guild of sausage producers, and today it is a restaurant. The only reminders of the past are two marble tablets on either side of the statue of St. Anthony.
Behind the Scuola dei Luganegeri, there are a number of impressive palaces now used by government offices. Among them are the 15th-century Gothic Palazzo Molin, which houses the headquarters of the Adriatic Coast Guard, and the 16th-century Palazzo Priuli-Bon, the former French Embassy and now the headquarters of the Venetian port. Just behind these palaces, the Zattere promenade crosses the Rio di San Trovaso and opens onto the 15th century church of Santa Maria della Visitazione, designed by Mauro Codussi. On the vaults of this church, you can see the image of 58 saints, made by an unknown artist. Adjacent to the church is Artigianelli, a former vocational school. On the facade of the building, you can see the gaping mouth of a stone lion, into which anonymous complaints about bribe officials used to be placed.
The next church in Zattere is the splendid baroque Santa Maria del Rosario, also known as I Gesuati. It was built in the 1740s by Giorgio Massari. Among the frescoes that adorn its vaults depicting scenes from the history of the Dominican Order, one can see the beautiful works of Tiepolo.
After crossing two more canals, the Zattere embankment leads to Ospedale degli Incurabili, a former hospital for men in the final stages of syphilis infection. Later, the hospital building housed the juvenile court, and today it is occupied by the headquarters of the Academy.
Another attraction of Zattere is the Spirito Santo Church, infamous for the scandalous antics of some of its former monks. Most of the time, the church is locked, but if you get inside, the optical illusion frescoes on the vaults are worth seeing. Passing through the Rio della Fornace canal, Zattere comes to Emporio dei Sali, a former salt storage, renovated in the middle of the 19th century. Today it houses the most prestigious rowing club in Venice - Bucintoro. The last noteworthy monument is Dogana di Mare, a customs building, notable for its bronze weather vane depicting the goddess of Fortune with a gilded sail.
